hamarivani.com

www.hamarivani.com

बुधवार, 13 मई 2020

Movement of people under the shadow of Corona

      Movement of people under the                     shadow of Corona


         I don't know about specialists, but per se my observation, I was sure that lockdown will only slow rate of proliferation and as proliferation increases albeit slowly, people living in congested and not very clean atmosphere and conditions would be greater at risk and become a fresh source of proliferation. People can't be made to stay at a place where they have gone basically  to earn their livelihood, beyond a limit when the source of livelihood itself has become dry.


         That is happening now. In slums effective social distancing is not possible at all. The best option would have been to allow people in the beginning of lockdown,  to move to their native places with a provision for a quarantine period at home. It would have decongested slums and the situation would have been less threatening there. Initially, poor people were not that much infected also, as in the initial phase the main source of infection were visitors coming from other countries or Indians/NRIs coming from outside. 


         Now slums and poor localities have become infected and people are being allowed to move. This step is while too late for such localities, native places where people are moving to, would be at greater  peril now. I could imagine this situation in the beginning, but the Govt. and advisors might have been optimistic . Hard measures and risk taking are hallmarks of the present Central Govt. So the Govt. didn't hesitate in asking the people to stay put where they were although with a good sense, yet lacking in farsightedness. In this whole process the marginalised section of society was ignored.


         We are sitting pretty at our home, but I shudder thinking about those who have so far been at mercy of others in the lands which are not their own,  and where they have been to serve others and earn livelihood for themselves. While some have been fortunate enough to travel by train or bus , many of them are moving now towards their homes on foot, in a rickety carriage, rickshaw or auto rickshaw, ready to go 1200 and 1500 KMs along with their families facing all the hardships on the way. Some are moving hidden in a goods carrier truck as if they are escaping a war ravaged country. The initial optimism and calculation has proven wrong now. I had written about the need to get slums evacuated and possibility of their becoming a source of infection,  to my friend Ravhuvansh Mani ji when he asked about options for the poor in the beginning of this lockdown. 


         I'm not blaming anyone. In total unfamiliar crisis situations our assumption may go wrong. I think so far if we have not done very good , we have not done bad either. Yet,  I feel our approach should have been more humanistic , especially with the marginal section of society. Many a times I fear if Mumbai is going to become another Wuhan or Newyork. The day cases crossed 60,000 mark in India, I couldn't sleep properly in the night feeling that  the situation may now go out of hand for us. Lockdown is the only hope for Indians but the problem is that one day this lockdown has to be lifted.

कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:

एक टिप्पणी भेजें